SNOW MELT WINTER WARMER DEBUT:
The first day of Winter is December 21st, but we can start melting the frost sooner than that - time for the first East End Winter Warmer - or should I say AMERICAN Winter Warmer. SNOW MELT is a Mahogany-red ale with a unique malt character, and a bright pine-ey hop flavor, unusual for a beer of this style, but seasonally appropriate none the less.Clocking in at 7% and guaranteed to clear the fog from your glasses, this one's debuting at Growler Hours next week (Dec 14th), and you can keep an eye out for it around town shortly after that.

Picked up a growler at the brewery during their "2-for-1 clearance." Granted, this means that the beer is not at its freshest, but still had every bit of character.

Poured a dark brown, nearly black, almost no light coming through but some dark amber highlights near the bottom. Two fingers of tan head, big bubbles, solid lacing with each sip.

Smell is rich, malty, with some roast notes in it. Coffee, chocolate, some subtle piney hop smells. The taste delivers on all counts, with a stronger hop bite at the end, rounding out into that crayon-like flavor I get from coffee-tasting dark beers. Though this is not categorized as a stout, the closest comparison I can think of is Wake 'n' Bake from Terrapin, the first time I noticed the crayon. I'll repeat, not unpleasant, but unexpected.

Mouthfeel is good, not as thick as a stout, but not watery. The bubbles dance around on the tongue a little. A drinkable winter ale, could easily spend an evening with this one. One of the best offerings from East End, in my opinion.

We went in to the East End Brewery for a sixth of Black Strap as a gift to a good friend but after sampling Snow Melt we switched our purchase. I am now a very big fan of this brew, possibly my favorite East End beer.

This malty beverage is smooth with hints of carmel and chocolate. It's dark pour reminds you of a good porter or stout but tops it off with a bubbly head.

I suggest getting a taste of this when you can and hopefully you can write a more detailed review.

Taste - A nice mix of sugar with the bitter hops and spices. I really enjoy the hop kick it has. Also love the plum and malt taste. The malts make it not that far off from a smoked porter. Very smooth and tasty.

Mouthfeel - It has a load of flavor. Theres sweetness, theres bitterness, mouth gets a decent workout. I would stick with dark beers after this.

Drinkabilty - This is my favorite east end beer. I really wish it was year round. Can drink this with a steak, or a piece of chocolate cake. Fantastic, cant wait for more

I'm not usually a big fan of this style; or just a fan at all. But this is good. Really great level of spices to it. Appropriate level of sweetness. Pretty smooth. Carbonation nips at the tongue a bit more than I like, but it just keeps things lively. Overall, this is really really good. Been quite some time since I've tried something from East End that I hadn't yet tried. This is a good one to get back into the mix with.

A 1 L swingtop growler from Al's. It is snowing outside, so a winter warmer seems appropriate.

A: The ale is a dark mahogany brown, full enough to be opaque. A voluminous head, over two fingers on first pour left thick splotches of lace behind. The reddish brown nature of the mahogany lends to the cloudiness.

T: Dark malts, toffee and chocolate along with burnt toast start things off. The rich flavor is met by an equally strong. The pine flavor is rich and bitter, moving the ale towards Black IPA territory. The combination of dark malts and bold hops works, even my wife likes the ale (and ksak is no hophead). The bitterness lasts, as does the well-roasted breadiness. A winter warmer that gets the job done without a heavy spice profile.

M: The mouthfeel is a rousing combination of malts and hops, a warming pair that builds to a crescendo. A great flavor lingers long after each sip is gone.

D: The ale packs more of a punch than beers much stronger than it. A strong flavor, great finish and sharp hoppiness are all I need tonight.

A - Deep Mahogany in color indeed! Very little light escaping from the glass. A inch of head due from growler pour.

S - Smells kind of like a porter with roasted coffee and a bit of hops but a nice sweet malt smell. No real spices on the nose.

T - Comes off very creamy. Tastes of bitter chocolate and hops with a nice balances of some winter all spice and a sprinkle of cinnamon. The hop presence is very mild delivering a sweet malt which I love in my winter warmer. Very complex.

M - Light to medium. Hard to believe this is over 6 percent ABV.

D - Well funny story actually my local place is the only location I know that carries this and I wanted a growler fill for 9 bucks. After about 1 1/2 beers the line kicks and he charges me 1.50 for the pour and sends me on my way. I ended up getting two pours out of that for buck fifty. If I did see it again on tap and the price was right I would get a fill but as of now I guess I have to wait till next year. Overall a damn fine winter warmer!

Poured from a fresh growler, filled at the brewery earlier this afternoon, into a shaker pint glass.A: Fantastic mahogany-amber color, with a fluffy, creamy inch-thick layer of tannish head. Fingers of slippery lacing down the glass, more pronounced as the beer warms.S: Nutty and lightly spicey. Notes of cinnamon, earthy malts, and perhaps some nutmeg?T: Closely resembles the smell; slightly malty and very smooth at first, then it lets the light spices roam the mouth in the mid taste and linger thru the finish. Small but noticeable hop presence towards the finish, kinda piney if anything.M: Smooth and creamy all the way through. Very satsifying and leaves me wanting more.D: Great. Not too heavy, especially for a style that's usually quite spicy and heavy, and one this high in alcohol.

Poured from a growler filled this evening at the Map Room into an East End Brewing pint glass, naturally.

Color is a very dark but very clear brown-red, with a big, more than two finger head of tan foamy foam. Fine lacing sticks for the duration, outside the sipping area.

Smell is of sweet malts, a little caramel, piney hops and citrus. Is this spiced with orange peel? Not very spiced, a different take on a winter beer.

Taste brings more of that sweet caramel/toffee malt flavor to light,along with that lovely EE hop bitterness. Definitely not a ton of spicing in the taste either. Very tasty.

Mouthfeel is quite full and creamy, without being thick. The alcohol, while not huge is lightly warming while still well masked by the flavors.

Drinkability is great, if I had gotten this home sooner, I'd have finished the growler by myself in one long evening, but the remaining pints will make for a very 'warm' afternoon tomorrow, perhaps watching the Steelers close their season with as much dignity as they can.

I get a thrill out of trying everything new East End has to offer and they (ok Scott, he) has yet to disappoint.

Next day update: I'm noticing a little more roastiness today, its not coffee-like, more akin to a nutty or bready flavor. Just saying.